Food Addiction

Food addiction, or eating addiction, is a behavioral addiction characterized primarily by the compulsive consumption of palatable and hyperpalatable food items, and potentially sweetened beverages, that are often high in sugar, fat and salt and markedly activate the reward system in humans and other animals; those affected often overconsume such foods despite adverse consequences such as excess weight gain, diabetes and heart disease. Psychological dependence has also been observed, including withdrawal symptoms when substituting foods low in sugar and fat, and professionals address it with behavior therapy and the Yale Food Addiction Scale questionnaire, a diagnostic tool modeled on the criteria for substance dependence; high-sugar and high-fat foods have been shown to increase expression of the addiction biomarker delta FosB in the brain's reward circuitry, though the synaptic effects of this compulsive-consumption mechanism remain an area of limited research.